Mid Atlantic Conference Keynote Speakers

Jacques Beaudry-Losique

Wind & Water Program Manager, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Jacques Beaudry-Losique was appointed in April 2010 as the Program Manager for the Wind & Water for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Jacques held multiple senior positions at EERE since 2005, including two years as Deputy-Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy and three years leading major clean energy programs. Prior to DOE, Jacques has held senior executive positions for major U.S. corporations and also has many years of experience as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company. In his keynote address at the conference, Mr. Beaudry-Losique will draw from the Program’s recent studies on Deployment Barriers to Distributed Wind Energy.

Jessica Zufolo

Deputy Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Jessica Zufolo was appointed by President Barack Obama to be Deputy Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). RUS provides leadership and capital to upgrade, expand, maintain, and replace America's vast rural electric infrastructure, as well as its water and telecommunications infrastructures. The Program makes loans and loan guarantees to finance the construction of electricity distribution, transmission and generation, including on- and off-grid renewable energy systems.

John Hanger

Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and national leader on green economy, environment and energy issues

John Hanger is strongly affiliated with securing the law requiring Pennsylvania investor-owned utilities to offer net metering (up to 3 MW to nonresidential customers and 50 kW to residential customers). He has held numerous leadership positions, including Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Chair of the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority. He was the founding President of Citizens of Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture). Mr Hanger continues to work on green economy, environment and energy issues.

James Woolsey

Former CIA Director and energy independence advocate

James Woolsey, an energy independence advocate and former CIA Director, has prepared a video address for Community Wind across America participants. National security and distributed energy frame his argument for developing all forms of renewable energy, supportive legislation, and forcing competition between petroleum products and other fuels. These measures, says Woolsey, are critical to a security strategy “to move away from oil,” which currently funds enemy states, and lays Americans vulnerable to possible terrorist strikes and disruptions.